by C. J. Hill
“That is for her to worry about,” Elizabeth shrugged. “She must decide to make peace with the situation; nothing she says will affect the outcome of my marrying one of the truly best men in England. I am so happy Charlotte! He believes me to be worthy of his affection and love, and so she must accept our marriage or she will pain herself further by never being allowed back into Pemberley again. He does not suffer those who wish him ill.
“However, his patience will be tried severely, I am afraid, Charlotte, the more he comes into contact with several of my family; unfortunately, I cannot shield him from everyone. Mamma and aunt Phillips are both terribly in awe of him, of course, but that does not preclude either of them from saying the most embarrassing things in his presence. I try to reduce their effect upon him as best I can but it will be as well for everybody once we are established at Pemberley.”
“Oh! Happy thought! That my friend should become the mistress of Pemberley! I hope we shall have the honour of an invitation? But do not concern yourself, Elizabeth! Mr. Darcy has been quite aware of the qualities of some of your family long before he proposed and so cannot claim to have been ignorant of their vacuous chatter now. For my part, I shall endeavour to keep Mr. Collins away from him as much as possible but, as you know, he considers himself to be an equal to any occasion or person! I had thought to have already made great changes in his understanding but, it seems, success is to be slow; he will speak his opinions unasked.”
Happy discussion continued in this manner for the rest of the day and into the days that followed as and when Charlotte felt able to visit. She began to feel that her time of confinement was fast approaching and prayed that the date of the birth would not coincide with the date of her friend’s wedding. With only a week left before both important occasions, all was excitement and joy in anticipation wherever one went throughout Meryton.
The morning of the weddings, as Jane was to marry Bingley alongside Elizabeth and Darcy, arrived on a beautiful, frosty but sunny morning; even nature beamed good-naturedly upon the happy couples. Mrs. Bennet, almost beside herself with delight at the thought of having her two eldest daughters married so beneficially, related her joy to all who would listen, and to some who would not. Her only distress, she told Charlotte, was that her dearest Lydia had not been spared from her duties up north and so could not attend. Charlotte thought privately that Lydia’s absence was a very great blessing indeed and thanked who or whatever had really prevented her from coming.
It was not until a full week following the weddings that Charlotte felt the first twinges warning her of impending motherhood. She was more grateful than ever to have her mother and familiar servants fussing about her; she knew that in Hunsford her only companions would have been Mrs. Betts and Mrs. Hall, and, as friendly and knowledgeable as they both were, nothing could surpass the comfort afforded by well-known and loved people.
Mr Collins was persuaded, with very little effort, to endure the delivery as well as he could by leaving the vicinity of Lucas Lodge, preferably as far as Meryton church, and obeyed with alacrity after first ensuring that his dear Charlotte had everything she needed and assuring her he would pray for her and the baby’s safe delivery. He was still calling out his wishes and hopes as he was efficiently escorted off the premises by Sir William, who also had no desire to have any part of the women’s business.
“Come, Mr. Collins, sir!” he chivvied him. “Here is no place for us men. You are for the church and I am for Longbourn to speak with Mr. Bennet. There is nothing for us to do in this situation and, believe me, the women do not want men interfering where they’re not wanted. It will all be over soon and you shall be a father; more interestingly - I shall be a grandfather! How do you like that?”
He laughed heartily at this thought and clapped Mr. Collins on the shoulder as he left him at the church gates before heading along the lane to Longbourn.
“When you find you have prayed enough, follow me along. I am sure that Mr. Bennet would delight in your company; he enjoys varied opinion.”
Mr Collins nodded, mute for once in his life, his mind utterly focused upon Charlotte and the trials she must be enduring. He would pray for her safe delivery – he cared not which arrived, boy or girl - but, he realised very clearly, he could not bear to lose his dear Charlotte.
As he entered the church he was wrapped immediately in its cool, mysterious embrace, instantly calming and relaxing his worries. He knelt at the altar rail and prayed as he had never prayed before. And as he prayed, images appeared in his memory of the happiness he had known in the few short months of his marriage to Charlotte; they had not yet been married a year. Her sensible mind when discussing problems with the parishioners; her patience with Lady Catherine, and, he realised, with him; her devotion to their household; her clear understanding of the right way to behave or the right thing to do in every circumstance. All of this, he realised, he had now come to take for granted and rely upon as his normal everyday life.
He prayed and thought and reminisced as long as the cold allowed, staying until long after it had crept into his bones, causing him to shake uncontrollably. Stiffly, he rose to his feet and forced one foot in front of the other in an effort to encourage the blood to flow once again. The pain was immense but he bore it bravely, and slowly left the church, not knowing where he should go now.
Remembering Sir William’s encouragement, he hesitated at the church gate, looking first one way and then the other, uncertain which path to take. His decision was made clearer for him as great drops of freezing rain proceeded from the sky and he determined to hurry back to Lucas Lodge, withstand being considered out of place and a nuisance to the females, and wait for his child to be born. He wanted nothing more than to be near his dear Charlotte even if he could not help her; his reminiscences in the church had made one thing entirely clear: his life would be nothing without her and a great fear overcame him that something had already happened, and he was too late.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had had a great deal with which to occupy herself and, after gratefully being assured that all of the male species had been removed from the premises, she had nothing to do other than concentrate all her energies upon the job in hand.
Her labour was long, her pain unforgiving, and many times throughout the day she prayed for release. Her mother and servants assisted her smoothly, calmly assuring her that all was going as it should. Several times Charlotte called for William; surprisingly, she found herself missing his worried presence, his never-ending chatter that, she found, would have been quite soothing and normal in this time of strange feelings and events.
However, because William had let himself quietly back into the house and secreted himself away in Sir William’s study where no one would think of looking as the owner was known to be at Longbourn and did not want to be summoned until all was over, Charlotte was left to the ministrations of her mother and was not to be soothed by her husband’s worries and prognostications. Which was just as well, as, when the pains became too much for her to subdue them under her breath, William suffered with his wife but did not know just what each pained cry represented. He, therefore, spent an agonised afternoon and evening on his knees in Sir William’s study, praying and hoping for a quick and pleasant outcome.
It was almost eleven o’clock at night when all went very quiet, and William, who had dozed off in an easy chair by the empty cold grate, was abruptly awakened by the silence that had replaced the constant noises emanating from overhead. He rushed upstairs, fearing the worst, bumping into his tired mother-in-law just leaving the bedroom.
“Ah! Mr. Collins! How prompt you are,” she greeted him. “Congratulations! You are the happy father of a baby boy! A great delight for us all, is it not now? You go on in to Charlotte, but she is very tired; she has had a time of it, make no mistake.”
Bowing only slightly in his hurry but without any answer, he pushed past Lady Lucas and found Charlotte lying quietly in bed, dozing, with a small bundle on the bed beside he
r. He approached with diffidence; he did not wish to wake her or the child but his joy was such that he could not leave without placing a loving kiss first upon Charlotte’s forehead, and then upon that of his son.
As he stood gazing in wonder at these two most important people in his life, Charlotte woke to see him standing with tears in his eyes, and smiled through her exhaustion.
“William! Come and meet your son. All is well; we are both well, although I feel he may have come out of the ordeal better than I.”
William approached the bed and, sitting down, took Charlotte’s hand in his and confessed to her.
“I was afraid, Charlotte. I prayed and prayed that all would be well, and it is, thank God! But I thought I might lose you, my dear wife. I could hear your suffering as I hid below and I could do nothing about it; I could not help you when you needed me as you have always helped me. I am happy, so happy that you are well and are still with me.” With that, he leant his head down upon Charlotte’s hand and sobbed his relief, quietly but without constraint.
Charlotte, too exhausted to move, merely stroked his forehead.
“William, it was in God’s hands that I came through unscathed and so I thank you for your prayers on my behalf. I had neither the time nor the energy to pray for myself or the child and so you did contribute a great deal to the welfare of our little family. I felt your strength, even as I was at my lowest ebb, willing me on and I knew that I must overcome my weakness. I am happy that you returned and were so close to me in my time of need.”
With those words of comfort, Charlotte drifted away into restorative sleep and left William grateful in so many ways with the result of the day’s labours. He carefully lifted his child from the bedspread and held him for the next half hour, watching him while he slept the sleep of innocence.
The next morning brought much excitement as Sir William was apprised of his new status as grandfather. He returned with all haste to Longbourn to spread the wonderful news and received much in the way of congratulations. Mrs. Bennet assured him that letters containing the news would be sent post-haste to Mrs. Darcy, Mrs. Bingley and Mrs. Wickham at once, or just as soon as Mary could be prevailed upon to do so.
Within days, Charlotte was feeling sufficiently recovered to bring the baby downstairs, and within a week, due to the clemency of the weather, unusual for the time of year, she even ventured outdoors for a few minutes to gain the benefit of cold, fresh air which she had been sorely missing. William fussed and worried enough for the two of them, always concerned with her comfort and needs, bringing blankets, hot drinks and cold titbits to tempt her palate. Unaccustomed as she was to such attention, Charlotte at first felt uncomfortable, but after seeing the great happiness it gave her husband to be able to do her any little service, she relented and accepted the help offered.
Her greatest joy was seeing the effect of being a father had on William; he doted upon the infant, always carrying him, well-wrapped of course, on his quick walks about the garden, talking non-stop to him and seemingly enjoying the freedom such one-sided discussion could bestow. He did not, however, overstep his authority, deferring to Charlotte with regards to the child’s welfare and agreed without argument with her wishes.
Although Charlotte was so well so soon after the birth, it had been decided that they would impose upon Sir William and Lady Lucas until the New Year; principally in fear of ruining either Charlotte’s recovery or the infant’s health but more strategically to allow Lady Catherine enough time to recover her equanimity regarding her nephew’s marriage.
In one of their many talks before Elizabeth’s wedding, Charlotte had mentioned to Elizabeth Lady Catherine’s immediate expectation that William and Charlotte would condemn his cousin and her friend respectively, and cut off all ties between them, after personally delivering Lady Catherine’s displeasure.
Elizabeth had looked shocked; the idea that her actions could affect her friend’s situation so directly had not occurred to her.
“But Charlotte. How can she possibly think that you or Mr. Collins are in any way responsible for decisions made by Darcy or me?”
“No, Lizzy! That is not the problem. We thought it was at first when she demanded that we intervene and send her objections to your father, but I made it clear that we had no influence over your lives at all; indeed, even she had proof of how little you could be influenced when she tried to dissuade you!
“No. It is more that we will be expected to be on her side against you until she changes her mind about your marriage, and that may be a long time coming. That is why we left Hunsford, under the pretext of the safety of the birth, so that we would not be importuned in such a manner; how could I pretend to condemn such a happy conclusion to a year’s worth of speculation and hope on my part? Ever since the Netherfield Ball last year I have watched and wondered about Mr. Darcy’s feelings for my dearest friend - the signs were evident if one watched closely - and now for it to have come about! I am too delighted to be able to dissemble for anyone, not even the old lady.”
Elizabeth smiled at her friend gratefully but this news had rather caused her some anxiety.
“But, Charlotte, what will you do once the baby is born and you must return to Hunsford? Surely Mr. Collins cannot be absent for too long - he will be needed at church, especially for the Christmas season. Then you will have to return and brave Lady Catherine whether or not she is reconciled to our marriage.”
Charlotte saw that her friend was worrying on her behalf when she should be happily carefree just before her wedding.
“Then, dearest Lizzy, you must convince Mr. Darcy to make amends with his aunt as soon as may be,” she laughingly replied. “I cannot think that she would refuse his advances for very long; after all, if she cuts him from her life, how will she ever be able to exert her influence upon it as she is so keen to do? No, I should think that she will remain angry for a little while at his decision to marry my upstart friend, but she will be willing to be cajoled into resuming her former relations with her nephew before too much time has passed!”
Elizabeth laughed at being labelled as such but then brought up, on her own account, the idea that had been first broached by Mr. Bennet in his letter to William.
“Of course, if life becomes unbearable at Hunsford and Lady Catherine does not respond to cajoling, preferring to sulk and make her point at the expense of the happiness of my dear friend, then I shall ask Darcy about any livings he has available in his gift – I know he has several. How wonderful it would be to have my friend close by again when I am in Derbyshire!
“Do not concern yourself, Charlotte. I shall, in the first instance, impress upon Darcy your intolerable situation brought about by our disgraceful match and he will agree with me that he must sway his aunt’s opinion – as you say, it is only to her detriment to sever all connections as she has threatened to do. She will be worked upon just as soon as we return to Pemberley, I assure you!”
In her mind she kept the thought that the other alternative to help her friend, while truly beneficial for her, would not be met with approbation by her future husband!
And so, after Charlotte had communicated, to William’s relief, what her friend had proposed with regards to repairing the situation with their benefactress, they had mutually agreed that Charlotte would remain with her family until after the New Year and William, if he was summoned earlier, would return to Hunsford alone to continue his work over the Christmas season. The season would give him ample opportunity to include themes in his sermons regarding the importance of family love, tolerance, respect and understanding.
XXXVII
A summons to that effect, on elegant notepaper, arrived at Lucas Lodge at the end of November from Rosings Park, along with seemingly sincere congratulations regarding the happy birth of their son, and handwritten by no less than the great lady herself.
Rosings Park
November 23 ~
Dear Reverend Collins,
I was most happy to learn of the safe a
rrival of your baby boy - you did not mention his name but I am sure that is an oversight due to the extreme happiness you are feeling. You cannot be condemned for being less than particular about some details but surely the child’s name cannot have escaped your memory?
I am glad that both mother and child are well; please give Mrs. Collins my sincere wishes for her continued good health and that of the child.
I expect that now the excitement of the birth has passed, you will return to your duties at Hunsford as soon as may be; the parson you instated during your absence has performed his duties commendably but he cannot remain indefinitely nor officiate over the impending festive season. I cannot think that it must be necessary for you to be absent any longer now that Mrs. Collins has been delivered safely.
I shall expect your return within the week and look forward to receiving you once again at Rosings Park for our usual daily discussions. Of course, I do not expect Mrs. Collins to accompany you; she must wait until she and the baby are both strong enough. I shall send the Barouche box to transport them safely and comfortably back to Hunsford as soon as Mrs. Collins deems it prudent.
Yours etc.~
Lady Catherine de Bourgh
William rushed to his wife’s side the minute he had finished reading the missive and re-read it to her so she could fully appreciate the gracious tone and generosity held within it.
“Do you see, Charlotte? Lady Catherine has missed my daily visits, she does not wish any other than me to perform Christmas services and therefore requires me to return immediately. Does not this bode well for our future at Hunsford? I am required and valued by my patroness. This is most satisfactory!”
Charlotte smiled at her husband’s excitement and quietly responded in kind.
“So it would seem, William. After our sudden departure under a not so very small cloud, a few weeks of isolation without the benefit of your company has caused Lady Catherine to reconsider how important that company is to her daily life. Without your visits, her days must have been very quiet indeed with only Anne for company. This separation has caused her to reflect; no mention is made about the marriage of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy and so it would seem that she no longer holds us to account for it. I hope that she will soon be able to also amend her thoughts towards my friend and accept her too; the holding of grudges is never beneficial to the holder or the object of it.”